By Carolyn Shattuck
Rutland, Vermont: Shattuck Studio, 2022. One-of-a-Kind.
9.5" x 7.5" 1.5", 33 pages including back pate down. Materials: BFK Rives and Japanese papers, cord, hooks, clear Lay Archival Film, laminate, found materials. Drypoint etchings of turtles and birds printed on Japanese paper. Some pages printed with fiber dyes on BFK Rives paper. Coptic Stitch binding. Signed by the artist.
Carolyn Shattuck: "It was created to honour sea turtles and speak about their endangerment. It troubled me that the sea turtle population was declining due to climate change, loss of habitat, pollution and boat strikes. I visited a sea turtle hospital in Marathon Florida and began my research. “
The text Shattuck has included provides information such as definitions of the different types of turtles and threats to turtles. To emphasize these dangers she includes types of found objects in the water such as straws and plastics.
A poem by Susan Mordecai, a Vermont teacher & poet, is included – “Turtle Poem”. Shattuck discovered the poem while on a bike ride. The text was engraved on a rock in a garden where she had paused during her ride.
In the darkest of night, …
The turtle
My symbol of peace
Gently rocks me back into peaceful sleep